A Waltz
by ijustliketowatch
Summary: Takes place during the ball at the Mikaelsons' house in 3x14. Extends the Klaroline story a bit and then veers off for a little more romance. Would really appreciate some reviews.
1. Chapter 1

Caroline awoke to brilliant sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. It was going to be a gorgeous day in Mystic Falls, but she wasn't looking forward to getting out of bed. It had been almost a week since her dad died and she was still getting used to the idea that she only had one parent. She had always been so close with her father and she'd hoped that despite his initial reaction to her becoming a vampire, he would learn to live with it. Now they would never have the time to repair that damage to their relationship. In the end, she had understood his choice, but she couldn't help feeling that if she had made him love her just a little more…he would have chosen to become a vampire.

The mourning process would have at least been a little easier if Tyler were around. He had seemingly disappeared without a trace and while Elena had assured her it couldn't be him, she still feared he would turn out to be the person killing the Council members. Who knew what Klaus could force him to do? While she hoped he had actually left to focus on breaking the bond, she also feared what that process might change him. She had sat through those werewolf transformations and seen the toll they took on him. She shuddered as she recalled his agonized screams as his bones shattered one by one and the even more acute agony of waiting for the process to begin in the hours before the full moon. The idea that Tyler would have to _choose_ to go through them again and again made Caroline want to scream. Yet the thing that scared her most was the fear that their relationship might not survive it either.

Caroline thought of the first time Tyler had decided to turn in the Lockwood cellar. The way he had looked to her after her father asked if he was sure he wanted to break the bond had haunted Caroline ever since. If he was only doing this for her how could he not end up resenting her? By the time he finally broke the bond, there was no way he could still think her love was worth all that pain. And what if he did love her at the end of it? Maybe she wouldn't love how it changed him. She couldn't deny that she loved him just a little less after he became a hybrid. She knew she loved werewolf-Tyler—the Tyler who had loved everything about her and who had given her peace just by letting her care for him. She worried that by escaping the sire bond, Tyler would also lose that gentle, loving part too.

Caroline couldn't bear to think about losing Tyler for another moment so she finally sat up, but she froze when she realized something was different about her room. A large white box wrapped in a blue ribbon sat upon her chest of drawers. She certainly didn't remember it being there last night. She slid out of bed and walked slowly across the room while eyeing the box suspiciously. A cream-colored card sat tucked beneath the bow and as Caroline reached for it, she recognized the paper.

"It couldn't be," she said under her breath. Written on the card's back was a simple message in a thin, spindly script: "Please where this tonight – Klaus." For a second, she couldn't understand what he had meant. Then it dawned on her. Klaus was throwing a formal ball in his newly renovated mansion tonight. It was to be a sort of coming out party for the whole Original family. When she had first received the invitation, she had discarded the invitation with a scoff. No way would she go to that psychopath's house to meet his insane relatives.

Caroline was about to send the dress to join the invitation when she realized that the gift might not be a friendly gesture. He had saved her life a few weeks ago and perhaps all the gifts were a not so subtle message that he thought she owed him something. Or worse, maybe he was trying to discover Tyler's whereabouts through her. The gift might really be a thinly veiled threat to show up at the party or face him personally coming after her.

And how had the box even gotten to her bedroom in the first place? He couldn't send one of his hybrids because they had to be invited in. Her mother had called last night saying she was staying at the station to work on the murder cases. Caroline gasped as a horrifying entered her mind: he must have brought it himself. She wondered why she had not woken up with her heightened vampire senses when an image from a dream came into her mind. She had been riding in a horse-drawn carriage toward a beautiful mansion. The carriage had stopped at the base of the mansion's stairs and as the door opened, she had seen Klaus standing at the top of the staircase dressed in a black tuxedo with a white shirt and bowtie.

"He messed with my dreams!" Caroline exclaimed with a mixture of disgust and awe at his audacity. "Ugh, what a creepy bastard!" She stood glaring at the box, arms crossed in front of her as her anger and repulsion increased. She grabbed the box and roughly tore the bow and cover from it only to pause in shock at what she found inside. It was a beautiful indigo dress with a layer of silver overhanging the train to give it a delicate air. Yet even more stunning than the color was the bodice. It was covered with lustrous crystals—some blue, some white—that swirled around the dress's curves in intricate patterns that recalled the bracelet he had given her on her birthday. Caroline couldn't deny the dress was beautiful, but she also knew that a lovely gift didn't make up for the liberties Klaus had taken with her privacy. She wondered what he was playing at with all of these gifts. After a moment's thought, she decided she had no choice but to attend the ball. Klaus had clearly gone to a lot of trouble to get her to attend, it could be dangerous to refuse.

She spent the rest of the day thinking about the ball and fearing the devious meaning behind Klaus's actions. She showered and spent little time on her usual hair and make-up routine. She'd be damned if she got all dressed up for that psychopath. As Caroline put the bracelet Klaus had given her over the white kid gloves that had come with the dress, she heard the doorbell ring. She looked around in confusion. Though Elena had offered to pick her up she wanted to drive her own car so she could sneak out early. She grabbed the silver shawl and clutch that had also come with the dress (he'd really though of everything, the bastard) and went downstairs. When she opened the door, she found a man standing on her porch. He wore a chauffer's uniform and held a hat in his hand.

"Your car, Miss Forbes," he said and gave a slight bow. Caroline looked over his shoulder and saw a vintage, cream-colored Rolls-Royce sitting in the street.

"Car? What for?," she responded.

"To the party madam," the chauffer replied, "your host thought you might enjoy arriving in style. Caroline sighed and considered refusing, but how could it hurt to take the car?

"This is too extravagant," she said with a sigh and shut her front door. She walked toward the car and the driver opened the door expectantly. Caroline took a moment to examine the vehicle's canvas top and white-rimmed tires before sliding resignedly into the car.


	2. Chapter 2

As the Rolls Royce rolled leisurely down the road toward the mansion, Caroline could not help but admire Klaus's forethought. He certainly wasn't holding back, but she couldn't understand why. Before she could consider it much longer, the car pulled to a stop.

"Why are we stopping?" Caroline asked nervously and leaned toward the driver. He exited his seat came to her door and opened it saying, "The carriages take the guests to the house, madam."

"Carriages?" she said incredulously. Caroline stepped from the car and saw a small group of black horse-drawn carriages with a line of Mystic Falls residents queued next to them waiting to board. The cars the guests had driven in were parked neatly off to the side and looked incongruous with the antiquated scene. She noticed Elena standing in the line giving her a slightly confused expression. She waved and walked to her.

"Hey, Elena," she said brightly.

"Hey, Caroline. You look great," Elena said. "And that car is incredible."

"Oh, thanks," Caroline mumbled shyly. "It belongs to Klaus."

"Klaus!?"

"Yeah, he's been throwing gifts at me for days now. Everything I'm wearing right now I got thanks to that murderous psycho." Elena opened her mouth to respond when a carriage pulled up and the valet tasked with helping guests into the carriages extended his hand.

"Miss Forbes?," he said. She climbed into the carriage and Elena followed. The carriage began to follow the winding dirt path to the house. It was still obscured by the trees, but Caroline would have been content to never arrive. She had always thought the woods around Mystic Falls looked so dangerous, especially now after all the supernatural shenanigans that happened in them. Yet in the golden light of the setting sun, they looked peaceful, almost enchanted. She was just thinking that something about this particular stretch of woods looked familiar when Elena's voice broke into her thoughts.

"Caroline, why is Klaus giving you gifts," she asked.

"I don't know," Caroline said with a sigh. "He's been doing it ever since my birthday." She hoped the conversation would end there, but the look on her friend's face told her she would not get away with hiding that story. "Ugh, ok. I was laying in bed basically waiting to die and thinking that this was the worst birthday ever when Klaus just walked into my room looking like some dejected puppy dog. He starts in on some bullshit apology about how I'm just a piece in his little game and I tell him off because I figure I've got nothing to lose." Caroline shifted nervously before going on. "And then he got really quiet. He stars telling me that it's my choice whether I live or die, that I have to choose to be a vampire. I thought he was just taunting me or something, but then he said he'd considered dying too and I _swear_ there were tears in his eyes, Elena. And then he launches into this bizarre speech about how being a vampire will let me see the world and I just…." Caroline paused, trying to think of the right words. "I just felt so hopeful." She self-consciously wrung her hands in her lap and stared at the passing tres, determined to avoid Elena's eyes.

"Do you think he meant it?" Elena asked softly. Caroline turned to look at her and after a moment's thought simply responded: "I don't know." Before she could say more, the carriage finally cleared the woods and Caroline gasped and her hand flew to her mouth in shock.

"Oh my God," she muttered breathlessly.

"What is it?" Elena asked and touched Caroline's arm in concern.

"I've seen this before," Caroline muttered as her mind flew back to last night's dream. The images she saw now matched them almost perfectly: the pale blue twilight, the warm light emanating from the mansion, the line of carriages leading up to the stairs and at the top, Klaus dressed in a tuxedo greeting his guests. Caroline realized Klaus had made her dream of this moment and it made it seem both more magical and more sinister. The carriage stopped at the base of the stairs and the valet helped Elena and Caroline from the carriage and up the steps. Elena approached Klaus who, unlike the dream, greeted guests along with the rest of his family.

"Ah, Elena, so good of you to come. I believe you'll find the Brothers Salvatore inside waiting with rapt attention for your arrival," he said with a smile. Elena blushed slightly and moved aside as she greeted the rest of his family. "And Caroline," he said. "You look just as ravishing as I expected. I see you're wearing my bracelet," he added with a smirk. Annoyed by the implicit ownership in his comment, Caroline smirked right back and lifted her arm to give the bracelet an appraising look.

"Yes, well it is rather gaudy, I thought this might be the only occasion I'd have to wear it," she replied. Klaus looked momentarily taken aback by her flippancy, but quickly regained his composure. He grasped her outstretched hand and raised it to his lips.

"Hopefully the rest of my gifts are to your liking."

"Like something out of a dream," Caroline responded without attempting to hide her disdain. She hoped her acknowledgment of his actions would throw him off, but his smile only widened and he turned to the next guest.

"What the hell was that about?" Elena demanded the moment they were in the door.

"Apparently he thinks being invited into my house means he can come over whenever he wants," Caroline said with a huff. "He brought all of this stuff into my room while I was sleeping!"

"What!?"

"Yeah, last night I had this weird dream and when we first saw the mansion I had the craziest déjà vu. I dreamed about this," Caroline said gesturing to their surroundings. "The carriages, the stairs, meeting Klaus, even his stupid tuxedo. I think he made me dream it."

"But why?" Elena asked incredulously.

"I don't know," Caroline replied. "Probably to keep me from waking up while he prowled around my bedroom, the creep."

"But what's the point?" Elena insisted.

"I don't know, Elena!"

Elena paused for a moment and then looked calmly at Caroline.

"I think he might be flirting with you."

"What?"

"The gifts, the kiss on the hand…I think he's actually trying to woo you or something." Caroline couldn't wrap her head around the concept.

"But what could he possibly hope to gain?" she asked in desperation. "Is he trying to hurt Tyler? Like by getting me to like him he'll have more control over Tyler?"

"Maybe," Elena said without much conviction.

They finally took a moment to see where the line of guests had led them and they were stunned with the scene around them. From the entrance they'd walked down a hall to a staircase that opened onto an enormous open space where seemingly every resident of Mystic Falls milled about. A butler announced Caroline and Elena to the room at large and Caroline took pleasure in the way some of the other girls glared jealously at them as they descended the stairs. They circled the room trying the delicious food that seemed to nearly overflow from each table. They drank glass after glass of delicate champagne and each time their glass threatened to run empty, a butler appeared with a fresh glass. Despite herself, Caroline was having a marvelous time. It was nice to just talk to Elena without worrying about some supernatural threat. They were standing at a table talking when Damon sauntered up to them projecting his usual air of arrogance.

"Hello ladies," he said with that usual devilish smile and piercing eyes. "Elena, could I interest you in a dance?" Elena avoided his gaze and nervously replied, "Um, sure." A smile spread across Damon's face and he took Elena's hand. Elena gave Caroline a quick, apologetic smile before Damon swung her around and brought her into his arms. Caroline felt a twinge of sadness as she watched them twirl around the dance floor. Elena was stuck between two brothers warring for her affection and it had brought her so much trouble. Even if the Salvatores did leave town, she would still be in danger. She was the Petrova Doppelganger and for whatever reason that meant she was the target for every supernatural creature around. Elena would never really be safe with Klaus around. She looked across the room and saw Stefan staring sadly, longingly at Elena and Damon. His face suddenly hardened and he turned away and walked to another part of the room. Guess he didn't have it so easy either. Caroline felt rage building inside of her as she thought of how much had ruined the lives of the people she cared about. He had killed Jenna, taken Stefan and ruined everything that was good about him, not to mention Tyler. How she wished he could be here tonight. A private smile spread across her face at the idea of Tyler in a tuxedo. She wondered what he was doing at that very moment. She shuddered at the thought of him alone, forcing himself to transform. She would give anything to be there comforting him. She hoped that at least the thought of her was comforting to him. If only he weren't alone

And suddenly she was thinking of her father. The wave of grief that washed over her was so potent she had to stifle a sob. She sat down in a chair to collect herself. If only he had been willing to become a vampire maybe Tyler—or she herself—might not be so alone. She held onto what he'd said about her being he person he had hoped she would be come with every fiber of her being. At least she knew there was some part of him that had been proud of her.

Caroline's thoughts turned to the mysterious person who was systematically killing the members of the Founders' Council. They were all at a loss for who it could be. It had to be someone with access to Alaric's weapons who also knew the town well enough to target the Council members. She hoped Klaus had something to do with it. The idea that a town member could do that to someone they knew was just too awful to contemplate. As Caroline considered the possibilities, she became aware of someone standing next to her. She turned her face upward to see Klaus smiling down at her.

"Hello, Caroline" he said. "May have this dance?"


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus reached down for Caroline's hand and she considered refusing him at first before deciding that dancing with him might give her the opportunity to figure out why he was paying so much attention to her.

"Of course," she replied and placed her hand in his. He led her to the dance floor and just as they reached its edge, the band began playing an up-tempo waltz. Klaus quickly took Caroline into hold and began to twirl them around. Caroline hadn't done much ballroom dancing outside of the Miss Mystic pageant, but she wasn't going to let Klaus try to sweep her off her feet. Thankfully her vampire speed allowed her to match his movements step for step and she stared into his eyes with a challenging, daring him to try and out-dance her. Klaus met her look with a mischievous smirk and led them around the floor faster and faster until the other couples became colorful blurs around them. The band finished the song with a flourish and Klaus stopped in the middle of the floor and dipped Caroline backwards as the last notes rang in the air. Klaus slowly brought her back upright as the assorted guests applauded them. Caroline blushed and looked around nervously. Another, much slower, song began and Klaus started to gently sway to the music, keeping Caroline in hold.

"You're a wonderful dancer," he cooed with a hint of condescension.

"Well, just because Mystic Falls is small doesn't mean it's a cultural wasteland," Caroline replied. Klaus let out a soft chuckle and raised Caroline's right hand slightly and looked at it.

"I'm glad to see you're wearing my bracelet. It complements you far better than that cheap bauble Tyler gave you," he said and rolled his eyes dismissively.

Caroline didn't realize what she was doing until her hand was already in the air. The sound it made as it connected with Klaus's face seemed to echo throughout the room. Caroline's anger was quickly quelled by her immense embarrassment as she realized people were staring at her. She turned from Klaus, grabbed her things from the table and walked briskly up the stairs and toward the front door. She saw the valet standing on the stairs leading out of the house and caught his attention. He quickly tore off his hat and bowed.

"Could you call one of those carriages, please?" she asked apologetically.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I'll have to run down to the stable though. The horses are resting and weren't supposed to return for the guests for at least another hour." Caroline sighed with frustration. She just wanted to get the hell away from this awful place.

"Thank you, but please hurry," she said. The valet took off at a brisk pace and Caroline was left standing alone. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Klaus emerging from the house.

"You stay away from me," she said as she retreated further down the steps. "Don't you dare come into my house again to leave these ridiculous gifts and play around in my dreams. After what you've done to my friends and me you could at least have the decency to leave my inner thoughts alone." She tried to remove the bracelet from her wrist to hurl it into his face, but the kid gloves she was wearing (damn him and his gifts) kept her from working the clasp. Finally, she gave up, threw her hands in the air and let out an exasperated huff. Klaus slowly approached her with his hands behind his back, a serious look on his face. His calm made Caroline even angrier.

"What's the point of all this anyway?" she yelled and turned to stand her ground. "You think giving me a bunch of pretty things is going to make me forget what you've done? You _killed_ Elena, you destroyed everything that was good about Stefan and you took Tyler away from me. And all of a sudden you come and save my life like some knight in shining armor and I'm supposed to be grateful? I was only dying because you manipulated Tyler into biting me! Now you try to make me like you on the off chance that by winning me over you'll get more control over Tyler? Well forget it you evil bastard. I won't let you use me to hurt him even more."

Klaus's face had remained unchanged throughout Caroline's rant and he continued to approach her at the same steady pace. He finally stopped when his face was just inches from hers. Caroline expected to see spite there, but instead she saw the tiniest hint of disappointment.

"You've got me all wrong, Caroline," Klaus said softly. He paused for a moment to stare deeply into Caroline's eyes and for a second, she thought he was trying to compel her. Thank goodness for vervain.

"I find you intriguing, Caroline," he said with that same seductive tone of voice he'd used when he'd spoken to her in her bedroom. "You're intelligent. You don't seem to fear me in the same way your friends do. And if Stefan and Tyler are to be believed, you're strong and funny and confident." He paused and ran his eyes over her figure a moment. "And you are _very_ beautiful. Those gloomy Salvatores are too obsessed with the Doppelganger to really show you what you can do with this life. You can spend eternity experiencing everything this world has to offer. Anything you've ever wanted to do, anywhere you've ever wanted to go—you can do what every human only dreams of doing in their fleeting, pointless lives. I'm simply offering to show you what you're missing." Klaus smiled slightly and Caroline looked away, unable to deal with the intensity of his gaze. He raised his right hand and placed it tenderly on her neck. He lightly nudged her chin up with his thumb so their eyes met again. He gently ran his thumb along her chin and said, "It's been a long time since someone caught my eye, Caroline." She stared into his eyes, trying to find any hint of mockery there, but only saw sincerity. He started to lean toward her slightly.

"I'd like to go home now," Caroline said before he could move any closer. He froze, clasped his hands behind his back again and took a step back.

"I believe your carriage has arrived," he said and glanced over her shoulder. Caroline walked down the remaining steps and Klaus followed. He gestured for the valet to step aside and reached out to help Caroline climb into the carriage.

"Good night, Caroline," he said and kissed her hand again. She climbed into the carriage and sat down. As the horses trotted away, Caroline saw Klaus standing at the base of the stairs until the woods finally obscured the house from her view. She didn't know what to think. Surely Klaus was just toying with her…but he had seemed so genuine. She'd never imagined Klaus could be so gentle. It didn't make sense after what he'd done. Could he really be interested in her? Every vampire who came to town always wanted Elena. She was the doppelganger. Caroline was just a normal vampire. She couldn't believe it. The carriage stopped and Caroline's train of thought broke as she climbed out and back into the same vintage Rolls Royce from earlier.

So what if Klaus was really interested in her she wondered as the car carried her home. It didn't change what he had done. Hell, he had even tried to kill her a few times. Some pretty speech about eternal life wasn't going to change that.

The car slowed to a stop in front of her house and she climbed out, went upstairs and prepared for bed. As much as she tried to understand Klaus's motives, she just couldn't comprehend why he would honestly want her. It was insane. Yet she couldn't help thinking that there was some truth to what he had said about being a vampire.

Caroline loved Mystic Falls and she'd always imagined she'd grow old and stay there just as every Forbes had before her, but living forever meant she couldn't stay in one place. While she mourned for the small human life she would have lived, she couldn't help but be excited for the eternity she could make for herself. She could go to college. Maybe in New York City or Los Angeles. She could study journalism or literature or hell, even singing. Maybe all three. She could travel around the world. She could lounge on a beach in the Bahamas, spend days in the Louvre, eat fabulous dinners in Japan.

Caroline couldn't wait to start living that life, but her musings were tempered by a melancholy thought: would she be doing all of this alone? She'd always been able to make any situation fun, but eternity was a long time to spend alone. Her first thought was Tyler, but she still didn't know how long it would take to break the sire bond or if he was ever coming back…. Despite herself, her thoughts turned to Klaus. He certainly had the money and experience to make a good traveling partner. He'd been around the world and could show her the best of it. He had actually lived through the creation of all of those great moments in history. He could tell her about the great artists of the Renaissance or what Paris was like at the turn of the century. As much as she hated him, there was something so exciting about the idea of having someone show her the world.

That night, she once again dreamed of Klaus. She was in a field of daffodils. The sun shone brightly down on them making their white petals and yellow coronas seem to glow with life. In the distance, she saw Klaus wearing a linen suit with a white shirt. He smiled and gestured to her. She ran to him, the skirt of her white sundress rustling over the flowers. She stopped in front of him and gave him a beatific smile. They reached for each other and just before their lips met, Caroline startled awake.

It took her a moment to recognize her surroundings. Sunlight streamed through her bedroom window illuminating hundreds of white and yellow daffodils spread around her room. Klaus had altered her dreams again. She looked around and found a card attached to the bouquet on her bedside table. The card simply read: "With deepest regards – Klaus."

"Creepy, bastard," Caroline said with the faintest smile.


End file.
